A flare star is a variable star which can undergo unpredictable dramatic increases in brightness for a few minutes or a few hours. The brightness increase is across the spectrum, from X rays to radio waves. Most stars are of nearly constant luminosity. ... An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in the range of 10 nanometers to 100 picometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz to 60 EHz). ... Radio frequency, or RF, refers to that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in which electromagnetic waves can be generated by alternating current fed to an antenna. ...

Flare stars are dim red dwarfs, although recent research indicates a possibility that brown dwarfs might also be capable of flaring. This article is about red dwarfs, the type of star. ... Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects (~5 to 90 Jupiter masses) that do not fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores, as do stars on the main sequence, but have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth. ...

The first known flare stars (V1396 Cygni and AT Microscopii) were discovered in 1924. However, the best-known flare star (UV Ceti) was discovered in 1948, and today flare stars are sometimes known as UV Ceti variables. 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Sun's nearest stellar neighbor Proxima Centauri is a flare star, as is another near neighbor, Wolf 359. Because they are so intrinsically faint, all known flare stars are within about 60 light years from Earth. The red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, part of the Alpha Centauri star system, is the nearest star to Earth, other than the Sun. ... The position of Wolf 359 in the Leo constellation; the star is not visible to the naked eye. ... A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ...

It is believed that the flares on flare stars are analogous to solar flares. A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Suns atmosphere with an energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs. ...

External links

• http://www.aavso.org/vstar/vsots/fall03.shtml